'Inspirational' Fife secondary school head teacher given award

Auchmuty High School head teacher Alan Pithie won the Silver Award in the Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School.

Selected from thousands of nominations, Alan has been honoured as one of 102 Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country.

He was honoured with a Silver Award for his outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children he works with every day.

Throughout the pandemic Alan has provided leadership and support to staff, pupils, and parents. Pupils were provided with IT equipment to ensure that they had access to lessons, and parents were kept informed of all developments. In school, pupil attendance and engagement directly influence wider achievement and attainment in qualifications.

To tackle attendance and lateness challenges pilot programmes were set up and led to improved engagement. Supporting his staff is a priority for Alan, both personally and professionally; creating a safe, welcoming environment is equally important as colleagues’ professional development. With this, Alan is able to drive a school culture which puts the pupil front and centre.

Alan has now been shortlisted to win one of just 15 Gold Awards later in the year, in a programme which will be broadcast on the BBC. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the exceptional school staff who have worked wonders during an incredibly challenging time for educators across the country.

The Silver Award winners are being honoured as part of the wider celebrations for ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, a national campaign to honour and recognise school staff for their incredible work. The celebrations follow new data which shows how the previous year’s lockdowns have significantly changed how families across the country view the role of teachers.

Sir Michael Morpurgo, author and former Children’s Laureate, and president of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “Thank a Teacher Day gives us all a chance - children, families, all of us - to pay tribute to those wonderful educators who change more lives than they will ever know. Today we say thank you to the teachers who have helped our young people navigate these most difficult of times, and who will continue to inspire countless young minds over the coming years.”